Is Manhattan too crowded?

The New York Times recently published a column on the population of Manhattan and its continued growth. We’ve all been there, cutting people off, giving dirty looks because someone has the nerve to walk at a casual pace, jamming into a subway car that will save you minutes instead of waiting for the next one, and don’t even get us started on that group who feels the need to walk 3 abreast! Can Manhattan really handle more, aren’t we already over crowded?

Manhattan currently has a population of 1.6 million, which actually is far less than it was in the 1910 before zoning laws were created. At that time its population was 2.3 million with an estimated 90,000 windowless rooms available for rent.

What’s interesting is how much the city swells each day, essentially doubling! During the work day the population grows to 3.9 million. This includes day-trippers, hospital patients, tourists, and most of all commuters.

How many more people can Manhattan hold?

There are 250 people who work in New York’s Department of City Planning who are projecting the future population. By 2030, they expect Manhattan will have 220,000 to 290,000 new residents. Additionally, they anticipate the population will be a lot older as more and more retirees will choose to stay in Manhattan.

As anyone who lives here knows, Manhattan is like no other place, what if these projections are too conservative? Where will these people live? What about all of the historical landmarks? Will those be sacrificed? Can our transportation or sewage system handle that?

To read the full article and find the answers to those questions click here.

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